Route description
The highway starts at U.S. Route 50 (Utah), US-50 near Salina and ends at Interstate 70 (Utah), I-70 near Green River, Utah, Green River, taking a scenic route between the Fishlake National Forest, Fishlake and Dixie National Forests then through Capitol Reef National Park, along the eastern side of the San Rafael Reef passing Goblin Valley State Park and meeting I-70 again near Green River. Along the way, it passes through the towns of Loa, Utah, Loa, Lyman, Utah, Lyman, Bicknell, Utah, Bicknell, Torrey, Utah, Torrey and Hanksville, Utah, Hanksville. The Mars Society established the Mars Desert Research Station just outside Hanksville, due to its Mars-like terrain . The north easterly section past the San Rafael Reef is open desert with distant views of the Henry Mountains, Henry and La Sal Mountains.Traffic volume
The Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for SR-24 is at its greatest between Salina, Utah, Salina and Sigurd, Utah, Sigurd, where it varies between 3,085 down to 1,500 at the Junction with Utah State Route 118, SR-118. Past that point, the volume of traffic varies greatly, reaching peaks where the highway coincides with the main streets in the several towns through which it passes. In Loa, Utah, Loa, the AADT reaches 2,080, in Torrey, Utah, Torrey, it peaks at 1,230. Then the traffic dies down to 295 by the time SR-24 arrives back at I-70.History
The road from Utah State Route 11 (1920s-1977), SR-11 (by 1926 US-89 (UT), US-89) at Sigurd, Utah, Sigurd southeast and east to Hanksville, UT, Hanksville became a state highway in 1910 (Wayne County, UT, Wayne County) and 1912 (Piute County, UT, Piute and Sevier County, UT, Sevier Counties). , updated September 2007, accessed May 2008 The number was assigned in 1927 by the state legislature, and in 1935 it was extended northeast from Hanksville to US-6 (UT), US-6 near Green River, UT, Green River. A realignment in 1961 bypassed Capitol Reef Road between Fruita, Utah, Fruita and Caineville, Utah, Caineville; as part of the construction of I-70 (UT), I-70, the east end was moved west to that highway's exit 149 in 1964. SR-24 was extended north from its west end over former US-89 (UT), US-89 to present-day US-89 in 1969, and cut back slightly to its current end at US-50 (UT), US-50 in the 1977 renumbering (Utah), 1977 renumbering. (The 1969 extension was signed as part of US-89 until 1992, soon after I-70 was completed. , updated November 2007, accessed May 2008) For a time in the 1950s and 1960s, there was also a State Route 24A, which was a short spur of SR-24 from Sigurd southwest along Main Street to SR-11/US-89.Major intersections
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:State Route 024 State highways in Utah, 024 Utah State Routes in Sevier County, Utah, 024 Utah State Routes in Piute County, Utah, 024 Utah State Routes in Wayne County, Utah, 024 Utah State Routes in Emery County, Utah, 024 Utah Scenic Byways, 024 Capitol Reef National Park